By OONAGH ROBINSON

After all the money, time and effort spent over the last couple of decades on how to tackle the problem of anti-social youths, who'd have thought the solution would be so breathtakingly simple?

All you need is.... a couple of naff fluorescent pink lights.

Eureka!

A resident's association in Mansfield has inadvertently solved an issue that has perplexed some of the greatest minds in Britain.

How to deter annoying young people from congregating together and generally being loud, intimidating and adolescent in public places.

Someone at Layton Burroughs Residents' Association has had the brilliant idea of simply installing some pink lights which show up the youngsters' zits.

The lights, traditionally used by beauticians to highlight blemishes, were placed strategically at two local underpasses where troublesome teens had taken to hanging out.

Now, the self-conscious lads and lasses have been frightened away - alarmed at the way the harsh lighting shows up their acne.

Aww. There's nothing like playing on a teenager's vanity and insecurity to teach them the difference between what's right and wrong.

Spokesperson Marianne Down says the pink lights have made a big difference.

"The groups aren't there as much and it feels safer walking through there now, particularly at night," she says.

It's believed to be the first time these lights have been used for such purposes in the region.

And the residents' association is so keen on them, members are trying to raise a further £1,000 to place more pink lights at other locations, in Corporation Street underpass. Which will surely be very pretty if nothing else.

But why stop there? That's what I say.

We all know that the youths who have been frightened off these particular gathering points will have simply moved to another area to cause the same annoyances for a whole new group of unsuspecting residents.

It's the local Tesco round where I live.

Sometimes you can't even get through the door, there are so many of them lumbering around youthfully getting in the way while I'm trying to go inside to grab a bottle of plonk.

No, what's needed is a blanket policy for pink lighting throughout the land.

Let's change all the street lamps to the pink fluorescent lighting, so kids everywhere feel embarrassed to even leave their homes. Ever.

Well, it could save a lot of trouble - even if the majority of them are partaking of quite innocent activities, like going to church or visiting their gran.

Better safe than sorry.

But hang on though, there is one thing that worries me slightly about the pink light solution to the issue of anti-social behaviour.

I mean, they will ONLY affect spotty teenagers who happen to pass underneath them, won't they?

Because, I don't know about you, but even in my 40s I am prone to the odd annoying zit or seven.

I would hate to think I could be walking around Noel Street in Mansfield (though quite why I would be, heaven knows) and have one of these fetching lights draw attention to my own annoying little eruptions.

I'd have to resort to wearing a hoodie if that were the case.

Oh dear, you don't suppose some of those troublesome teens will have thought of that do you?

And as for raising the cash needed for more lights, maybe the residents' association could approach a large organisation for sponsorship opportunities.

After all, sales of Clearasil and other well known zit treatment brands are bound to go through the roof if the pink light solution is adopted across the board.

Or, they could just resort to that brilliant solution suggested a couple of years back in Australia to stop young people randomly gathering together.

Blast Barry Manilow records out on a continuous loop over loud speakers all day long.

It would surely be enough to send any self respecting yoof over the edge.

That will only work, though, if the likes of you and me feel confident we can cope with hearing 20 or 30 renditions of Bermuda Triangle every single hour of the day whilst going about our daily business.

Yeah, maybe the pink lights solution doesn't seem so bad after all...